A new narrative-focused entry in the Battlefield franchise is now in development at the brand-new Ridgeline Games studio. The long-running FPS series is acclaimed for its large multiplayer maps and interactive vehicles, but last year’s Battlefield 2042 was widely criticized for its technical issues and lack of features. A refund petition for Battlefield 2042 became very popular after the title’s launch, and publisher Electronic Arts seems committed to avoiding this negative reception with the franchise’s next entry.
While many fans were interested in the game’s near-future setting prior to launch, the release of Battlefield 2042 was met with nearly universal criticism. A large number of bugs and glitches was largely to blame for the title’s disasterous launch, with the game’s player count dropping sharply within weeks of release. In addition to technical issues, Battlefield 2042 lacked many features that had become expected staples of the series like persistent multiplayer lobbies, small transport vehicles, global leader boards and standard game modes like Team Deathmatch. Fans were also upset that Battlefield 2042 had no campaign mode, with the game’s setting and narrative being developed solely through multiplayer gameplay.
A press release from Electronic Arts reveals that the next Battlefield title will mark the return of the narrative-driven FPS campaigns of older series entries. This next Battlefield installment is being created by the brand-new Seattle-based developer Ridgeline Games, which is being helmed by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto. While Battlefield 2042 was heavily focused on large-scale multiplayer firefights, Ridgeline Games’ vision of the series will tell a unique story within the first-person shooter genre and take advantage of the, “narrative, storytelling and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series.“
While the game was widely panned upon release, the recent launch of Battlefield 2042 Season 1 has brought some players back to the futuristic FPS title. Titled Zero Hour, this first season of post-launch content was delayed earlier this year so that developer DICE could fix the game’s countless bugs and glitches. Now Season 1 has finally arrived, and the additions it makes to Battlefield 2042 are surprisingly high in quality. The game’s new multiplayer map, Exposure, is smaller and more detailed than launch maps while still being large enough to accommodate the title’s various game modes. Two new modes called Conquest and Breakthrough were also added to Battlefield 2042 with this first season, as was a new playable Specialist named Lis.
Battlefield 2042 abandoned campaign storylines in favor of large-scale multiplayer, and this choice contributed to the game’s widespread criticism. Electronic Arts seems to have learned from this experience, thankfully, with Ridgeline Games now crafting a story-driven Battlefield installment that focuses on narrative and character development. This title is likely years away, but Battlefield fans can hopefully look forward to another quality wartime tale.
